Grommet inserting mechanism



3953 E. A. BRICKMAN GROMMET INSERTING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

Filed Jan. 24, 1948 l l n Hul w I I P W I H 51113? 1951 E. A. BRlCKMAN GROMMET INSERTING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 24, 1948 Patented July 10, 1951 GROMMET INSERTING MECHANISM Elmer A. Brickman, Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 24, 1948, Serial No. 4,149

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to grommet inserting mechanism and more particularly to a device for simultaneously inserting a plurality of grommets in apertured articles.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a, mechanism for eificiently and effectively inserting resilient grommets in holes.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a device having a plurality of hollow tools fixed to a, reciprocable power actuated cross head and the front end of each tube is cut off obliquely to form an elliptical receptacle or seatfor receiving the grommet in laterally compressed condition therein and ,each tube has an inwardly extending lip formed on the tip thereof to engage and retain'the grommet in the tool. An article having an apertured wall in which the grommetsare to be assembled is placed on the device and the tools are advanced.

to pass the front ends thereof through the apertures, after which grommets are applied in compressed condition to the inclined front end of:

ing a preferred embodiment thereof in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of thegrommet inserting device showing a cable terminal box in position thereon and with the tools extending through the apertures in one wall thereof;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the device taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlargedvertical sectional view through a portion of the device showing a tool extending through the apertured wall of the box and having a grommet inserted therein;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 3 showing the tool in retracted position and the grommet in assembled position on the box;

Fig. 5 is a detail cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3 showing a tool with a grommet assembled therein;

Fig. 6 is av detail end elevation of one tool; and

ig. 7 is an enlarged detail plan view of one tool.

The embodiment of the grommet inserting device selected to illustrate the invention is designed to insert a, plurality of grommets ID in a cable terminal box I i. The cable terminal box H, as shown herein, comprises a five-walled box having an open top adapted to be closed by a cover (not shown) and has a wall i3 provided with a plurality of circular apertures [4 adapted to be closed by rubber grommets it]. The grommets ID are of conventional construction having outer and inner peripheral edge portions or flanges l6 and I1, respectively, separated by an annular groove 18 and adapted to engage the opposite sides of the wall thereon.

The device 25 for assembling the grommets comprises a plurality of hollow tools 26 secured to a reciprocable cross head 21, which is fixed to one end of a pair of rods 2828. The rods 28 are slidably mounted in a pair of cross frame members 38 and 3! extending upwardly from a base plate 32, which may be suitably secured to a table or bench 33, as by a, plurality of bolts 34-34 (Fig. 2). The rods 28 are rigidly connected together for sliding movement by a pair of tie members 3636 welded thereto and spaced apart to. form a slot, 3? into which thereduced end of an actuating lever 38 is positioned. The actuating lever 31% is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a pin 39 supported from the underneath side of the base plate 32, and the lever 38, at its lower end, is connected to a piston 4! of a fluid operated actuator 42 fragmentarily illustrated in Fig. 2. The actuator M is of conventional design having control valves by means of which the operator may effect the forward and rearward reciprocation of the piston rod 4| to cause the reciprocation of the head 21 and the tools 26.

A plate 45, out out to permit reciprocation of the head 21, is mounted on the base plate 32'to receive and support the box I! with its apertures l4 aligned horizontally with the.to01s 26. A gage lug 46 may be provided on the plate 45 to engage the end of the box it to aid in coaxially aligning the apertures i l with the tools 26. edge of the box 5 I, when supported on the plate 25, is adapted to be engaged by the upwardly extending portion of the cross member which holds the box [I against movement to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, during the grommet assembling operation. r I

The tools 26 in the embodiment herein illustrated comprise tubular members of circular cross section which, at their rear ends, are secured to the cross head 21, as previously mentioned. The tubular members, at their rear ends, may be bonded to circular plugs or inserts 48 and then bonded to the cross head '21 or, if desired, the member 48 may be secured to or formed on the cross head 21 and the tool 26 positioned on and secured thereto. The tools '26 are provided I 3 when assembled The rear with sloping forward ends 56 and a transversely disposed inwardly directed lip 51 at the tip thereof. The ends 56 of the tools are formed by cutting the tool in a plane disposed obliquely with respect to the axis of the tool and the edge formed thereby is substantially elliptical with the distance of the long diameter of the ellipse being considerably greater than the small diameter of the ellipse. The elliptical edge portion of the tubular member, together with the tubular wall portions thereof, form an elongated seat or elliptical receptacle for receiving the grommet therein in laterally compressed condition, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5. The inner flange ii of the grommet, when the grommet is applied to the tool, engages the inner surface of and is confined within the walls of the tool 25 and the major portion of the outer flange it of the grommet extends beyond the outer diameter of the tool 26. The lip 51 forms a shoulder for engaging the lower peripheral portion of the inner flange ll of the grommet and serves to hold the grommet against axial outward displacement relative to the tool 26.

In using the device to assemble a plurality of grommets in the terminal box and with the head 27 and tools 26 in their retracted position, as indicated in Fig. 4, a box Il may be applied to the device and positioned on the supporting plate 45 thereof with one end thereof engaging the positioning lug 46 and the side edge of the box in engagement with the cross member 36 to properly align the apertures I i in the wall it thereof with the tools 26. ihe actuator 22 is then operated to impart motion to the head 21 and advance the tools 28 into the apertures l4 and move the sloping ends 5% through the aperture onto the other side of the wall l3 to the position indicated in Fig. 2. The operator may then laterally compress and insert a grommet in the sloping ends of each of the tools, as indicated in Fig. 3. The grommet, in this position, is inclined with respect to the axis of the tool and, as stated before, has its inner flange l1 positioned within the tubular walls of the tool 26 and has the major portion of its outer flange I8 extending radially beyond the outer surface of the tool 26. The actuator 52 is then operated to effect the rearward movement of the head 2! and the retraction of the tools 26. At a certain point in the rearward movement of each tool, the flange (6 on the upper portion of the grommet will engage the outer surface of the wall I3 and as the tool continues its movement, the upper portion of the grommet will be withdrawn from the tool and the upper portion of the flange I? will expand and engage the inner surface of the wall l3. As the tool 26 continues its rearward movement, successive portions of the grommet are progressively withdrawn from the tool and caused to assume assembled relationship with the wall 13 until the tool 26 is entirely withdrawn and the lower portion of the inner flange H of the grommet is carried through the aperture i l by the lip 51 and finally disengaged therefrom and expanded into engagement with the inner surface of the wall l3, thus completing the assembled relationship of the grommet with the marginal portion of the wall l3 surrounding the aperture l4. With the grommets assembled in the wall 13 of the box H, the box may be lifted vertically from the device 25, which is then in position to receive another terminal box and start another grommet assembling cycle of operation.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A tool for assembling grommets comprising a single piece tubular member having a sloping end portion, and an inwardly extending transverse lip formed on the tip of the sloping end of said tubular member to form an ellipticalended receptacle for receiving a portion of a grommet therein and supporting said grommet in a laterally compressed condition.

2. A tool for assembling grommets comprising a tube having an end face formed substantially in a plane disposed obliquely to the axis of the tube to form at the end portion oi the tube an elongated receptacle for receiving a portion of the grommet therein compressed in one direction and an obliquely disposed seat for supporting said grommet obliquely relative to said tube, and a transversely and inwardly directed lip on the tip of said tube.

3. In a tool for inserting grommets into an aperture in a wall the combination of a relatively straight member adapted to be inserted into and partly through the aperture in said wall and having outer guide surfaces engageable with the edges of said aperture for guiding the member in a predetermined path relative to said aperture and parallel to the longitudinal axis of said member, said member having a recessed end portion and an obliquely disposed end surface forming an elongated receptacle and an inclined seat, respectively, for receiving a grommet therein compressed in one direction only and for supporting said grommet in an obliquely disposed position with respect to the axis of the member, said elongated receptacle having wall surfaces engageable with the side walls of said grommet to retain said grommet in position therein including a Wall surface adjacent the tip of said recessed end portion extending transversely to the axis of said member.

ELMER A. BRICKMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 364,226 Blodgett Aug. 27, 1907 2,466,952 Jakubowski Apr. 12, 1949 2,468,286 Behlert Apr. 26, 1949 

